


Letters

by The_Peverells



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Redeemed Dudley Dursley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-05-24 20:31:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6165853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Peverells/pseuds/The_Peverells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Harry left Privet Drive for the final time, Dudley and Harry had very little contact. Most of it was through letters, but sometimes it was through phone calls and get-togethers. Here is a chronicle of Harry and Dudley's relationship after the War.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Letter

"What's that?" his mum asked, turning away from the stove.

"It's a letter . . ." Dudley held it up. ". . . from Harry."

"Oh." She turned away from him. "You should read it."

Dudley stared at his mother in amazement. "Really?"

She hacked some peppers into small chunks, avoiding his eyes. "Or don't. It doesn't really matter what that _freak_ has to say."

Dudley sliced open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and silently read:

_3 July 1998_

_Dudley,_

_You've probably guessed, since you're back at Privet Drive, but Voldemort, that wizard that was trying to kill me, is dead. So you can forget about me and go back to your normal life, if you want._

_If you ever need anything, you can contact me at the address on the envelope._

_Harry_

"He's fine, and that guy who was trying to kill him is dead," Dudley told his mum. "And he gave me a way to contact him if I need to."

"Hmph."

But Dudley thought his mum looked a bit pleased. He would have to remember to tell her if he ever got a letter from Harry again.

That Christmas, he sent Harry a card. It didn't say anything other than "Happy Christmas," but Dudley hoped Harry would understand.

A few days later, he got a similar card from Harry. He was pleased, because Harry must have sent his card at the same time as Dudley had.


	2. Weddings

Another Christmas came and went, with cards exchanged. Then, in March, Dudley got another letter:

_We would like to welcome you plus one to the wedding of_

_Harry James Potter_

_and_

_Ginevra Molly Weasley_

_on 20 August 2001 at 11:00 in the morning, and to the reception afterwards. Please RSVP by 15 July._

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That evening, while speaking to his mum on the phone, he mentioned the invitation.

"I know," she said. "I got one, too."

". . . Dad too?"

"No."

Dudley nodded. He wasn't surprised. "Are you going?"

There was a pause before he heard her, "No." Then, blatantly changing the subject: "So, did you hear about the Glenys's daughter?"

Dudley tuned out all the Privet Drive neighborhood gossip, making appropriate shocked noises at various intervals. He did want to go to the wedding, but he did _not_ want to spend the day surrounded by magic people. Perhaps he could go to the wedding, but skip the reception.

But, at the same time, he was curious. He wanted to see what kind of a girl could possibly be attracted to Harry.

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Dudley ended up going to the wedding and the reception, and mostly regretted it. There were several people there he recognized, like Harry's soon-to-be-wife's family, some of whom he still had nightmares about; and that giant that had given him a pig's tail. He also recognized that big black guy who had been protecting the Prime Minister a few years ago. Apparently he was the Minister for Magic, now.

The wedding had a _huge_ amount of people, so Dudley only talked to Harry long enough for a quick greeting (which he was glad of). He spent most of the time talking to Dedalus and Hestia, who were weird (especially Dedalus), but were really the only people at the wedding besides Harry that Dudley knew.

And then, of course, there was the blatant magic everywhere. Glass bottles pouring drinks by themselves. All the chairs and tables moving to the side at once to make more room on the dance floor. That little kid with the color-changing hair. Live birds flying out of the wedding wreath. That strange girl who, while she didn't do anything blatantly magical, was so obviously _not normal_ that Dudley's parents wouldn't have let her within ten kilometers of Privet Drive. There were even fireworks that Dudley was absolutely positive were not normal.

But the drinks were awesome, and more than made up for the weirdness of the rest of the wedding.

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_You are cordially invited to the wedding of_

_Dudley Orville Dursley_

_and_

_Iris Chloe Polkiss_

_on the fourth of May, two thousand and two at one o'clock in the afternoon. Reception to follow. Please RSVP by the first of April._

Harry came to the wedding, but didn't stay for the reception. Dudley didn't blame him, considering half the guests hated him.


	3. Children

_11 April 2003_

_Harry,_

_I HAVE A DAUGHTER! Jasmine June Dursley was born yesterday! The pictures are of her with her mother, grandparents, and me!_

_Dudley_

_P.S. Is she going to be like you?_

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_20 April 2003_

_Dudley,_

_I've asked a couple of people, and there is a chance that she is magical. Most magical children show signs before they're 7. If anything weird happens, don't try to explain it away, and let me know._

_Harry_

_P.S. Just so you know, if you have more than one child, it's possible for some of them to be magical and some not to be, like our mothers._

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_27 January 2004_

_Dudley,_

_James Sirius Potter was born extremely early this morning! I've sent some pictures of him._

_Harry_

_P.S. Ginny and I got a new house. It's a_ _normal house, so it has a phone. My number is 01761 476 8837._

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When Dudley's next daughter was born about a year and a half later, he called Harry instead of sending a letter:

"Hello?"

"Hi Harry. It's Dudley."

"Oh, hello. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great! I have another daughter!"

"That's wonderful! What's her name?"

"Dahlia Dorothy Dursley. She's beautiful! . . . Well, not yet. You know – she's still red and wrinkly. But she _will_ be beautiful! And intelligent and strong!"

"That's great!"

"So what about you? Any more babies on the way?"

"Ginny's actually due March 24th."

"Nice! So she's what . . . _October, November, December, January, February, March_ . . . almost three months pregnant?"

"Mmhm."

"So she's showing? And you might find that she forgets things all the time. And sleeps all the time! And –"

"We _have_ had a baby before, Dudley."

"Oh, right. But don't expect the second time to go exactly like the first one! Every baby is different."

"Okay, Dudley."

". . . Hey, so I was thinking, it might be good for our kids to get to know each other a bit, you know?"

". . . Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. You want to get together sometime?"

"I do. But listen, I have to go now – I think we're finally ready to leave the hospital. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Sure. Take care, Big D."

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Their first get-together was the most awkward thing Dudley had ever done (except maybe that time he had told Harry he wasn't a waste of space – that one still made him cringe). The kids got along fine: Jasmine and James immediately started playing with some of Jasmine's toys (although not the dolls, which James had adamantly refused to touch). Dahlia was sleeping in Iris's arms.

Ginny and Iris got along fine, as well. There was some awkwardness; mostly, Dudley thought, because Ginny was censoring everything she said to make sure she didn't mention magic, which Iris didn't know about. But they chatted about pregnancy, and about their children, and then about their families, so their conversation did not have very many awkward pauses, even though the two of them didn't have much in common.

Dudley and Harry didn't have much in common, either, but the two of them also had a long, antagonistic history with each other, which made it hard to have a conversation.

Iris knew about their history, and Ginny probably did, too, so Dudley was almost positive that they had purposely abandoned Dudley and Harry with each other to sort out their problems. But neither of them wanted to dredge up old memories. So they had nothing to talk about. They mostly just sat there and watched their children.

Eventually, Dudley and Harry just moved closer to their wives and listened to their conversation, interjecting occasionally.

As awkward as it was, they both agreed they should do this again sometime.

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They got together again soon after the birth Albus Severus Potter (Dudley may be a bit of a bully, but Harry was just plain sadistic to name his son that).

Of course, Jasmine and James had completely forgotten each other in those months, so they had to be re-introduced.

Iris and Ginny talked about the same topics this time as they had last time.

And Dudley and Harry sat and watched their children, saying nothing to each other.


	4. Grandchildren

They had no contact with each other besides Christmas cards for the next two years, which is when Harry's third child was born.

They got together again soon after that.

Lily slept in her mother's arms while Iris and Ginny chatted.

Dahlia and Al played together with some of Dahlia's toys. Albus did not refuse to touch the dolls like James had, so they were playing with those.

James still refused to touch Jasmine's dolls, so they ended up playing tag outside, with their mothers watching.

Dudley and Harry stayed inside to watch Dahlia and Al, and didn't say a word to each other the entire time.

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They got together with each other about once a year after that, whenever neither of them was busy. Besides the games the kids played as they got older, not much changed.

When Harry's kids started going to that school, they only got together in the summer, when the kids were home. But they started missing years here and there, although their Christmas cards started being more than just a simple "Happy Christmas," and started mentioning some things their kids had done over the year.

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_12 April 2026_

_Dudley,_

_Al just got married! He was considering inviting you and your family, but the wedding was going to be a magical wedding. Anyway, he's enclosed some pictures for you – most of them are magical, so the people in them move, so don't let your family see those. But there are a couple normal ones, too._

_Harry_

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Dudley sent letters to Harry when Jasmine and Dahlia got married, and Harry sent him letters when Lily and then finally James got married.

Dudley sent Harry a letter when his first grandchild (named after Dudley!) was born, and Harry did the same when his first grandchild, Flora, was born.

They continued for all the rest of their grandchildren (Myron, Violet, Ione, Brenton, Peony, Ivy, Briar, Raphael, Elmo, and then finally Magnolia).

And every Christmas, they sent each other cards.

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_2 February 2036_

_Harry,_

_I don't know how much you care, really, but my Mum just died. Her funeral is the 9th, if you want to come. It's at that church two blocks over, at 11 in the morning._

_Dudley_

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_9 July 2036_

_Harry,_

_Dad just died. I doubt you want to go to his funeral, but it's at the same place as Mum's on the 13th at 11 in the morning._

_Dudley_


	5. Magic

Mid-October that year, Dudley called Harry, instead of writing a letter.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Harry? It's Dudley. I need to talk to you."

"Are you okay? You sound awful!"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I mean, I think. . . It's . . . Earlier, I was at Dahlia's house, and her oldest, Violet, was screaming because she wanted more ice cream but wasn't allowed to have any. And two light bulbs shattered! Her parents said it happens all the time, because Violet has a shrill scream, but I think it might be . . . _more_ than that. What do I do?!"

"You think she's magical?"

"I don't know!"

"All right. I have no way of knowing for certain until she turns ten. I'll let you know as soon as I find out, but that's still a few years away, right?"

"She's five."

"Right. So until then, you can't really do anything either way. If her parents notice that something is different about her and start getting worried, you can try to tell them the truth. If you want, I can be there to prove it to them."

"Okay. Thanks, Harry."

"Is there anything else worrying you?"

"Well, I don't want her to get hurt. And with the . . . the giants and the dragons and the evil wizards . . . I mean, I just don't want her to get hurt."

"Oh. Well, . . . first of all, the Wizarding World is much safer now than it was when I was at Hogwarts. There hasn't been a really dangerous Dark Wizard since Voldemort – he's the one that was trying to kill me. Most wizards never come in contact with a dragon their entire lives. The only reason there was one at Lily's wedding is because she wanted her there. There are giants, and they can be pretty vicious, but they mostly keep to themselves. Hagrid is the one you met, and he's harmless . . . well, he isn't, really . . . but he's really nice, honest. He's not going to be a problem."

". . . Are you sure? Because I remember –"

"Yes, I'm sure! Here, look. You were at my wedding, right? There were a lot of people there. Most of them now have kids and grandkids. None of them have died of anything but old age since the end of the war almost forty years ago. And the only serious injuries were people with dangerous jobs. The Wizarding World is safe! Okay?"

". . . Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Take care, Big D."

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"Dudley Dursley speaking."

"Hi Dudley. It's Harry."

"Oh, hello."

"Violet is ten now, right? I looked her up on the Hogwarts list. She's on there."

". . ."

"Dudley? You still there?"

"I . . . Yeah. . . . I'm here. What about the others? Ivy and Maggie? And Dudley and Myron?"

"I won't be able to tell until the September they are ten years old."

"Dudley's thirteen and Myron's eleven."

"Do you know what school they're going to?"

"Er, yeah, I think. But we lied about where you went, too!"

"All right, I'll find out about Dudley and Myron, okay? I can't do anything about the other two until they turn ten, though."

"Okay. . . . But Violet definitely has magic?"

"Yes, she does."

"What do I do? Do I tell them I know?"

"Take a few months to think about it, okay? It's September, and Violet's parents aren't going to be told about Hogwarts until the summer. So don't tell them yet."

"All right. . . . Thanks, Harry."

"No problem. Take care, Big D."

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"Dudley Dursley speaking."

"Dudley, it's Harry."

"Wow, twice in one month. Is something wrong?"

"I looked up Dudley and Myron. They're not at Hogwarts. So I looked up some other Wizarding schools, – "

"There are other ones?"

"Yes, there are. And none of them have Dudley or Myron, either. There are too many schools for me to check every single one, but I've asked a couple friends to see what they can find, just in case. But I'm pretty sure Dudley and Myron aren't magical."

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"Anytime. Take care, Big D."

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"Hello?"

"Hi, Harry? It's Dudley."

"Oh, yes. I was just thinking about you. Hogwarts has sent out the letters, and explained everything to the Muggle-born children. I assume this is about that?"

"I just got off the phone with Dahlia. She told me that Violet had gotten a scholarship to a great school in Scotland, so she's going there instead of Smeltings in September."

"Did you tell her?"

"No. I was thinking about it the entire time, but I wasn't sure if she actually knew about . . . you know . . . or if she was telling the truth! What if Violet actually did get a scholarship to a school in Scotland and they haven't found out about magic yet?!"

"Dudley, calm down. She knows. You can tell her that you know, too. That way she doesn't have to lie to you."

"All right. . . . I'll tell her."

"Good. Take care, Big D."

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"Dudley Dursley speaking."

"Hi Dudley, It's Harry. I looked up Ivy. She's magical, too."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. Take care, Big D."

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"Dudley Dursley speaking."

"Hi Dudley. It's Harry. Magnolia is magical, too."

"Yeah, I figured. Thanks for telling me, though."

"No problem. Take care, Big D."

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"Hello?"

"Hi, Harry? It's Dudley."

"What's happened? We spoke just a couple of days ago! Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Something's come up. Apparently Dahlia's husband's grandfather (who is ancient, by the way), grew up in your world, but doesn't have magic – is that even possible?"

"Yes, they're called Squibs. They're pretty rare. But that would explain why Dahlia's kids are all magic but Jasmine's kids aren't: They have magic on both sides. So what happened?"

"Well, most of his family is dead, but he's going to look up his second cousin or something, who _does_ have magic, but he hasn't spoken to her in decades. He figured the kids should meet the magical part of their family. I mentioned you and that you might be able to find her. So he gave me her name: Molly Prewett. –"

"Molly Prewett, really?"

"Yeah, do you know her?"

"She's my mother-in-law. She practically raised me."

". . ."

". . . I mean, –"

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you had someone looking after you. . . . So do you think you can get her to call her cousin? I have his number."

"Yeah, sure. Read it out."

"01221 732663."

"Got it. I'll let her know."

"Great, thanks."

"No problem. Take care, Big D."


	6. Improvement

They didn't write each other for each individual great-grandchild. But the Christmas cards they sent each other got longer and longer as the amount of family members to write about continuously increased.

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_10 November 2062_

_Harry,_

_I know we haven't had the best relationship, and I know that most of that is my fault, but I wish it hadn't been that way. And I know it might be too late to repair our relationship, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. I mean, we got this far, you know? I'd like for us to be able to actually talk to each other, instead of sitting in awkward silence every time we see each other. I mean, I couldn't even get up the courage to call you about this instead of writing, which would probably have made more sense._

_Anyway, if you want to, I was thinking we could get together for tea at Tralala Tea (on Tea Street in London) this coming Thursday, the 16th, sometime in the afternoon. Say, 3:00?_

_Dudley_

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_12 November 2062_

_Dudley,_

_I'll be there._

_Harry_


	7. Epilogue: Harry

Harry arrived at Tralala Tea, a little nervous, but mostly pleased that this was happening. Dudley was all he had left of his mother's family – well, Dudley and Dudley's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. But Dudley was the only one he really knew. And Dudley is the one he grew up with. They were _supposed_ to have a good relationship. They were _supposed_ to be like brothers. Harry doubted they'd ever become that close, but he hoped this meeting would start a friendship, at the least.

Dudley wasn't there yet. But Harry had arrived early, because he was nervous. Years ago, he might have found it ironic that he was nervous about meeting his cousin, when he had defeated Voldemort, but now he was old and wise (although everyone who knew him disagreed with the latter). And being old and wise, he knew that relationships were extremely important. And so it was fine to be nervous about his relationships. And Harry was here to repair his relationship with Dudley.

Harry ordered some tea and sat down, musing about different topics that might be interesting to Dudley that they could discuss, to avoid the awkward silences that had characterized their earlier meetings.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was getting a little worried. Dudley was fifteen minutes late, and this whole thing had been Dudley's idea. Maybe he was just running late because he was nervous. Or maybe there was traffic. Really, there were plenty of reasons why Dudley might be late.

Harry waited another hour before he left. He was going to go home and call Dudley and make sure everything was okay. And if that didn't work, he was going to use his immense resources to track him down.

When Harry got home, there was a letter waiting for him:

_14 November 2062_

_Dear Mr. Harry Potter,_

_We sorrowfully announce the passing of Dudley Dursley on 13 November. You are invited to the funeral service in his memory on 18 November at Avalon Funeral Home in Rosenshire, Rutland. The service will start at 1 o'clock in the afternoon._

_We're sorry for your loss._


End file.
